Moving from Louisiana to Iowa
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Louisiana and Iowa, side by side.
Moving to Iowa costs about
About the same
Louisiana and Iowa work out within $50/mo of each other
Worth knowing
Housing (median rent) is what separates these two states
Of everything that changes when you move from Louisiana to Iowa, housing (median rent) moves the most: about $92 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Louisiana vs Iowa at a glance
| Louisiana | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $216,500 | $208,000 |
| Median rent | $1,064/mo | $972/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 3.00% | Flat 3.80% |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% | 1.39% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 94 | 94 |
| Utilities | 71 | 83 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | LA | IA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent)Biggest factor | $1,064 | $972 | -$92 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $168 | $202 | +$35 |
| Local income tax (state average) | None | $7 | +$7 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $70 | $84 | +$14 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,718 | $1,718 | +$1 |
| Utilities | $292 | $340 | +$48 |
| Total | +$10 | ||
What the move itself costs
$2,200 to $5,000
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $650 to $1,000, against roughly $250 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
These are statewide figures. New Orleans is not Louisiana-average and Des Moines is not Iowa-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.